Tag Archives: factual books

Factual Children’s Books – Celtic or Iron Age Britain

Books and Magazines, Children's books, History Books, Learning, , , ,
Celtsceltsusborne (Usborne Beginners) by Leonie Pratt
A simple introduction for younger children. A bright, well-illustrated, clear book for younger children and beginner readers.
onthetrailceltsOn the Trail of the Celts in Britain by Peter Chrisp (Franklin Watts)
This book looks at Iron Age Great Britain (not Ireland) through the archaeological evidence, featuring sites and finds. As a result it focuses on types of buildings – and is really good at showing the diversity of building types – whether in it be hill-forts, roundhouses in wood or stone, crannogs or brochs. There are also spreads on farming, chalk figures, religion, burying the dead and human sacrifice.It rounds up with information about the Roman invasion, and the long term survival of Celtic languages.
There is a glossary, and timeline. And unsurprisingly for a book based on archaeological sites, a list of places to visit.
The pages use large scale photographs of the archaeological finds, and sites including reconstructions such at Butser Ancient Farm. The text is fairly large, and flows well over the pages. It makes good use of maps to show sites.
historydetectiveceltsThe History Detective Investigates: The Celts by Philip Steele
This books starts with a wider look geographical look at Celts, starting with different ‘Celtic’ peoples across Europe and the origins of the this cultural group. 
It then focuses on British Celtic people, looking at everyday life – rulers, war, clothes, homes, food, metalworking, religion. It then looks what happened when the Romans came and the impact of their leaving. It discusses how we know about the Celts, and has several ideas of projects. It rounds off with a Glossary, answers to the questions and further sources of informaiton. 

Pages are packed with information. Though good size photographs feature too. Box outs are used to personalise the text with quotes, and for ideas for Detective Work – things to think about or do. Some pages have a question to follow up on. 

This series aims to provide a starting point for further thinking, and projects.
by Philip Steele (Author)

Eyewitness Guides

Children's books, History Books, Nature Books,

Whenever we are looking at a topic I find that I end up looking to see if there is an Eyewitness book (or Eyewitness Guide) on the subject, and if I see one in a charity shop then I will inevitably buy it. Though it has to be said that at least so far this is far more for my benefit than my daughters’.

This series covers a wide range of subjects. They successfully walk a fine line between being very visual and being very detailed. The spreads break up information into one main section. And the rest of the page features bite-size text and lots of photographs, often of artefacts. With over 60 pages these books go into lots of detail of different aspects of the topic covered.

We recommend these for adults getting to grips with a subject and for older children. For younger children (pre-teen) we find that they are too detailed, unless a child has a particular passion for the subject. They might however suit a visual child, or one with a particular interest in physical things at a younger age.

List of Eyewitness Books on DK website

North American Native American Factual Books

Children's books, History, History Books, , , ,

We have been exploring some of the cultures across North America before the arrival of Europeans in sixteenth century. Here are some the factual books we have found:

MegaBitesNativeAmericans

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DK MegaBites Native Americans: An inside look at the tribes and traditions By Laura Buller

One of our favourite factual book on the subject.

Although pocket size it covered pretty much everything we needed to get a good over view of the diversity of Native North Americas, and how environments across the continent shaped the cultures that lived and continue to live there. It strikes a nice balance between the generalisations needed to start to gain an understanding of a subject and showing the diversity of the continent and people.

The first few chapters look at themes – beliefs, daily life, crafts etc. Each of the cultural regions are then tackled in turn. We would have preferred to see Subarctic as a region in itself rather than combined with Arctic, but that is just nit-picking. Each starts with setting the scene for the region. Then goes on the discuss the way of life, and a bit about the impact of the coming of the Europeans (and the horse).  Taken together these regions show a wide range of environments, ways of life and the different ways European arrival affected the people of North America.

The book also has handy links to websites, a timeline, regional tribe list and glossary.

americanindianswolfson

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American Indians (My First Book of…) By Evelyn Wolfson

This is a really easy to read, very accessible book. It starts with a nice big colour map of the different cultural regions and highlights the diversity of cultures and the link between environment and ways of life. The second spread talks about the lives of children. Then it looks at the lives and traditions of four tribes – the Iroquois, the Cherokee, the Sioux and the Hopi.

The book is very simplified. It would make a good first book on the subject. But for our purposes it lacked the breadth and historical detail (the Sioux are only discussed after the coming of the horse). It also shows Native Americans in the modern world.

DKEyewitnessNorthAmericanIndian

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North American Indian (DK Eyewitness Books) By David Hamilton Murdoch

Like the other books in this series North American Indian has great photography, in particular of artefacts – of the things created and used by different people across the continent.

The focus is very much on the past – the traditional ways of life, with only a single page on modern, and relatively brief information on post-European contact history.

It is divided into cultural regions – with one or more spreads devoted to a region, or aspect of a region. Read about the Eyewitness Guides Series

Native Americans (Build it Yourself) By Kim Kavin (Nomad Press)

This feels quite differnt to the other books reviewed here – monochrome, and makes great use of different fonts to highlight keywords, prompt questions and pull out interesting facts. It starts with chapters on the first Americans, and the early Archaic period. Then covers different cultural regions in six chapters, and finishes up with a chapter on the what happened when the Europeans arrived. Includes projects with things to make and do. Aimed at ages 9-12.

More children’s books on native Americans:

World History Reference

Books and Magazines, Children's books, History, History Books, Learning, ,

It took ages to choose a world history reference book, and am really pleased with the one we have. And it turns out it is a less well known book, rather than one of the big publishers.

A good reference book forms the backbone for studying history, not only do they provide information but they also provide a starting point from which to branch out in search of other books, Youtube videos, documentaries and crafts.

History of the World

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Our favourite World History reference book is:

History of the World: 4 Million Years to the Present Day

Published by Bounty Books

What drew me to this book in the first place was the apparent coverage and the layout. We were doing ancient history and having trouble finding anything on the Phoenicians, despite their importance to the development of the ancient Mediterranean world. But here we found a good half page covering the basics. Over time most of what we have chosen to look at (we tend to explore the less travelled path) has been covered to some degree by the book – whether it be a small box-out on Great Zimbabwe or a double spread on the Thirty Year’s war, and Suleiman the Magnificent.

The illustrations are attractive, and full of people. The timeline on most pages helps to fill in details, and place events in time. I really like the way the pages make use of illustrations, captions and boxouts. Some pages are thematic, and revisited through the book as time progresses. The text is quite accessible, and not too complex for my daughter, but with enough details to be a good starting point for further research.

You might also try:

I would really love to hear about your favourite World History reference book.
Which one do you use and what do you like about it?

Stone age resources

Children's books, Children's fiction, History, Websites, , , , , , ,

Here I’ve gathered a few links to resources on the stone age.

Online Games

  • Show me Prehistory - links to online games and interactive content on prehistory produced by the UK’s museums and galleries, for children aged 4 to 11
  • See You See Me Skara Brae – interactive, animated games and educational videos about the prehistoric site of Skara Brae in the Orkney Isles
  • BBC Hands on History – Ancient Britain - take a journey back to ancient Britain with an animated day in the life of a stone age boy! Plus build your own stone circle and paint a story using cave art

Books

Factual

  • How to Live Like a Stone-Age Hunter by Anita Ganerisecrets of stonehenge
  • The Secrets of Stonehenge, by Mick Manning and Brita Granström
    This is a factual picture book aimed at older children charting the history of Stonehenge. Starting from the Mesolithic nomadic hunter-gatherers, through the first farmers to Stonehenge as a modern tourist destination. It examines how the henge was built, how it changed over time and what it may have been used for. See full review
  • DK Eyewitness Early People
    This is part of series of books characterised by being very comprehensive, with big visual spreads focusing on objects and artefacts, and incorporating manageable chunks of text. The information is fairly detailed and dense so is more suitable for older children (DK recommends age 9-14) or as a great way for an adult to get to grips with a subject. This book covers human evolution, hunter-gatherers, neolithic agriculture, bronze and iron age and has world wide coverage.
    It might suit a visual child with a love of objects at a younger age. Definitely one for use as a references book, because of the sheer level of detail and breadth of information.
  • Stone Age (Sounds of the Past) Clint Twist, Nicki Palin
    This is an unusual book – a novelty book with pop up and sounds. When we first got it I was worried that the sounds would impact on its readability, but actually it works really well! Open a double spread and you hear the sounds of a mammoth hunt, or neolithic farm. The sounds are a little over the top, with lots of things going on at once. (Book requires a 3 volt battery to make sounds.) But once the sound finishes playing it doesn’t repeat so you can explore the page and read the text that accompanies the pop-up pictures. Each double picture spread has lots of details to spot. And the next spread is an information page describing what you see in the pop-up pages. There is actually a surprising amount of information, and at a higher level than might be expected in a book with sounds and pop-up pictures! Covers origins in Africa, cave painters, mammoth hunters, neolithic farming and Stonehenge.

  • Avoid being a mammoth hunter! John Malam and David Antram
    Part of a wonderfully bright, informative, humorous and engaging series of history books. The illustrations in this make it very accessible to younger readers and they flow well being read aloud. The use of illustrations, and captions pack the book with a far higher level of information than the layout and illustrations suggest. We will always checkout this series, as have found it really useful time and time again.

  • Look Inside the Stone Age Board book by Abigail Wheatley and Stefano Tognetti
    A lift-the-flap book from Usborne books, about life from the Stone Age to the Iron Age. Bright, engaging illustrations, with the added interactivity of flaps to lift and find out more behind. Aimed at 5+ and a good book for younger children.
  • The Stone Age: Hunters, Gatherers and Woolly Mammoths by Marcia Williams
  • Stone Age (Beginners) by Jerome Martin, Usborne Books
  • Prehistoric Britain (History of Britain) by Alex Frith, Rachel Firth, Ian McNee
  • My Best Book of Early People Margaret Hynes Kingfisher Books
  • Who Were the First People (Usborne Starting Point History)
  • Stone Age, Bone Age (Wonderwise) Mick Manning & Brita Granstrom An entertaining factual story book.
    Although factual rather than fiction, this picture book actually makes a reasonable substitute if you can’t get hold of our recommended book Stone Age Boy. The illustrations are bold, with strong colours and shapes, and the illustrator’s signature feelings of movement and life. It uses our favourite factual book format. A big beautiful picture, with a well written, poetic main text on the page. Plus additional information to read or not. This makes it as readable as any fictional picture book, and a good first introduction to palaeolithic stone age.
  • Hands-on History! Stone Age
    Another book combining information and craft projects.
  • Stone Age Sentinel (Newspaper History) Paul Dowswell and Fergus Fleming.
    Usborne Newspaper style look at the stone age.
  • The Stone Age News Fiona MacDonald
    Alternative newspaper style book on the stone age.
  • The Savage Stone Age (Horrible Histories) Terry Deary
  • The Secret Cave: Discovering Lascaux by Emily Arnold McCully
    True story of four boys who discover cave paintings in the Lascaux caves.

Sticker books

Workbooks

Fiction

Children’s Historical Fiction – Stone Age – Booklist with recommendations and reviews of some of our favourite stone age historical fiction.

Videos and music

One of our favourite history TV programmes is Horrible Histories. Unfortunately it has tended to fall for the old stone age=stupid comedy line. More recently as the show has matured it has improved and there are a couple of good stone age/prehistory segments.

Board Games

Cookery

  • History Cookbook – A couple of palaeolithic video recipes, plus making fire and neolithic recipes. Plus picture galleries (series of picture plus simple text) on prehistoric life, food and health.
  • Ray Mears Wild Food , TV series on DVD and Wild Food, Ray Mears – looks at Mesolithic British food, through comparisons with surviving hunter gatherer cultures.

Teacher’s Resources

Places to visit

Online Information